Funding in the state budget for an ICT program that will centralise systems between the Justice Department, courts, police and corrective services has been praised by legal professionals.
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The project will receive $25.9 million over the next four years to finalise detailed requirements, start the tender process in mid-2020 and begin a staged roll-out.
BUDGET RELATED
Tasmanian Law Society president Evan Hughes said although IT wasn't in people's front and centre, it was important to create efficiency within the system.
"We are a big supporter of the Justice Connect program," he said.
A number of different platforms are used within police, the courts, corrections and the prison, and Mr Hughes said those systems not talking to each other was silly.
"The government has committed a significant amount of money for the development of that project, which we see as really important," he said.
"I think it is more significant in the sense of development of efficiency in the justice system than most other things."
A government spokeswoman said funding to date has allowed the Department to conduct a detailed analysis of the systems that are to be replaced and conduct stakeholder workshops, and the future needs of the justice system.
"The funding provided in this budget will allow for the tender process and design, and the implementation of the required systems," she said.
The Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania will receive an additional $361,000 in 2019-20, increasing to $546,000 per year for the next three years after that.
"It is a recognition of the increasing workload that comes with the increasing court load," Mr Hughes said.
With the construction of the Northern Prison and increasing police numbers, Mr Hughes said it was important to inject more money into legal aid to prevent a bottleneck in the system. "Could there be more funding? Of course there could be."